


core

by shinigami39 (setosdarkness)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, F/M, Gen, M/M, Tarot Motifs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-09
Updated: 2010-04-09
Packaged: 2020-09-27 19:01:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20412748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/setosdarkness/pseuds/shinigami39
Summary: Here we are, at the ends of the world.[imported from my livejournal][original post date: APR.9.2010]





	core

» **title**. CORE  
» **summary**. Here we are, at the ends of the world. [experimental style; AU; PG-13]  
  
•  
  
She smiles, with all the humanity of the world that is suffering at its core, with all the happiness of the life that is flying by her, with all the honor of the person that is her personality.  
  
She is normal—with her own share of ups and downs, of glee and heartbreak, of carefree laughter and troubled sighs—and she lives on.  
  
She smiles, with all the sadness of the world that is ending.  
  
•  
  
He holds the CORE of the WORLD in his hands.  
  
He is normal, but people who possess the power to protect the world from all its enemies don't have the right to *stay* normal. That is why, he leads the starving people and feeds them hope. He promises them that food and luxuries will soon follow, but before those things enter their reach, they must defeat the enemies first.  
  
He gives home to his friends, to his followers, gives them everything he can offer.   
  
He used to be a normal college student, hardbound books on his bookshelves, frayed notebooks on his bags. But that's before he discovered the WORLD CORE, before his destiny found its way to his hold.  
  
He grows a little distant, adding the littlest bit of space between him and his classmates, because nobody became a successful leader by showing adamant favoritism.  
  
But he smiles at her, because they're friends and she smiles because of sadness and she smiles despite his rejection of her feelings.  
  
The distance grows even more, even though he doesn't add them anymore, and he's so distant that all he can remember are talks with world leaders that joined his diplomatic rule, that he can't remember when did she started smiling differently.  
  
He smiles at her and she smiles back.  
  
(But her smile doesn't have a shade of empathy with the world anymore.)  
  
•  
  
He follows the owner of the CORE of the WORLD by choice, though he'll easily admit that the WORLD's master is a very charismatic young man.  
  
He owns a CORE that represents his personality well and as a wielder of a power that can either make or break the world, it's important that he knows who to bow his head to, it's important that he knows when to stop thinking about things like how following an idealist student is a disgrace to a forty-year old policeman. JUSTICE will help him save this world and bring the enemies to their knees. JUSTICE will help him make sure that humanity marches on a direction where everybody will lead lives with brilliant smiles, instead of hiding in the shadows and stabbing their friends in the back.  
  
As JUSTICE, he will make sure that the WORLD remains strong until the end of this long, long battle.  
  
As JUSTICE, he will make sure to bring victory to the WORLD.  
  
•  
  
It is no secret to anyone that she likes the WORLD. After all, she's the heir of the biggest weaponry development company of the entire world and she's the focus of hundreds of suitors—but she actually leaves her penthouse suite to live in an underground headquarters, she actually foregoes eating caviar and chocolate in favor of stale military rations, she actually allows her hands to be dirtied by grime and be in contact with other people's skin... just so she can join the man that united the remaining countries of the world.  
  
She could have persuaded her ailing father to maximize profit by supplying weapons to the enemies—mafia families, terrorist organizations, shady guilds—but she didn't. She offers the WORLD her entire family's support, and since that might not be enough to let him know just how serious she is, she also joins him in his most trusted circle, even if it means fighting in the front lines and using the CORE that she loathes.  
  
She's the SUN and her brilliant light is needed to shine light to their allies' despaired faces locked for their safety inside the underground headquarters, her comforting warmth is needed to heal their wounds both physical and emotional. She dislikes being with people, especially if they're not up to her nearly impossible standards, but for the WORLD, she'll do anything.  
  
She'll do anything.  
  
She'll even ignore the longing glances the WORLD gives to that nameless, useless girl, instead of focusing said glances on her.  
  
(She'll do anything. As long as that powerless girl doesn't smile back at him.)  
  
•  
  
There are supposedly 22 COREs that fell down from Heaven to bury themselves on Earth.  
  
But amongst those 22 COREs, there's one that rises above everything.  
  
His CORE might be the one called EMPEROR, but he is (painfully) aware that his power doesn't even reach half of *that* CORE's ability. It's not as though the COREs—jewels that are round and small but immensely powerful—came with instructions. The knowledge about them comes to him the moment the pads of his fingers touched the red jewel—the name EMPEROR resonates in the privacy of his mind soon after, bringing him a warmth that soon breaks into a thousand frosty icicles when the knowledge about the most powerful CORE penetrates his consciousness.  
  
Nevertheless, he ascends the social pillars and secures a position at the top of his mafia family, armed with the EMPEROR's scepter. He knows that the world considers the mafia as an enemy, but he also knows that the WORLD knows nothing about the truth. There must be someone manipulating information in the WORLD's side, because the WORLD is doing all the wrong things needed to keep everyone alive.  
  
He dislikes being a leader—before he had any contact with the power that changed his life completely, he was a mere human, not naive but not mature either, definitely not a leader and definitely without an encompassing ambition—but now that he is the EMPEROR, he knows that in order to stop this world from giving up on moving forward, he needs to do everything he can to finish off the owner of *that* CORE.  
  
No matter what it takes.  
  
•  
  
She waits until all the mafia leaders and their bodyguards leave the hall before she walks towards the EMPEROR, before she drapes her oil-lathered hands over fragile, childish shoulders, before she smirks at the shiver that racks that inexperienced body coinciding with the press of her breasts against the weak back.  
  
She used to be a feared leader of one of the most recognized mafia families in the underground network, but ever since they discovered the EMPEROR's existence, even her own Familigia has easily discarded their alliance to her and transferred them to the man who holds the symbolic blood red scepter with trembling hands.  
  
Her smirk widens when the EMPEROR turns to shoot her a pleading look—saying "Please stop bullying me" with wide, teary eyes—because she would have opened her lips otherwise, would have unleashed the fury that she was hiding deep inside her psyche. She hates the EMPEROR from the bottom of her heart, but she knows that her EMPRESS CORE is still weak compared to his CORE. She longs to be the one standing on top of the mafia world, but she can wait, really.  
  
She can relieve her building fury by participating in all missions, by leading the first wave of attacks against their enemies, one hand on her hips and one hand literally whipping everyone to submission. Her fury also subsides when she thinks about how she'll kill the EMPEROR as soon as they defeat *that* CORE. Or about how she'll willingly ally with *that* person, if it means getting the entire mafia network as a reward.  
  
She might not be the winner now, but she will be, soon.  
  
It's just a matter of time.  
  
•  
  
The battle on neo-Siberia rages on, but the stalemate remains.  
  
As the owner of the MOON CORE, it pains his pride to admit that they're being pushed back by JUSTICE's arrows and the WORLD's sword. He didn't use to be this concerned with victory, but ever since he swore allegiance to his Lord, his personality has changed. It's definitely for the better, because the thought of presenting anything but his best effort leaves an undesirable taste in his mouth.  
  
His Lord entrusted him to use his powers to lead their soldiers to victory.  
  
He won't ever let his Lord down.  
  
•  
  
He used to be the slowest guy in his class, the easiest target for bullies and the like, the weakest weakling in the entire world.  
  
The CORE of STRENGTH glows in his hands, encasing his arms with shoulder-long armored gloves that can wreck and crack the earth with one punch.  
  
He used to be weak.  
  
Thanks to his Lord, now he can never be weak anymore.  
  
•  
  
Nobody knew what happened to soldiers that were deemed failures by their Lord.  
  
Now, she knows—since she watches the STAR's punishment with eyes filled with a mixture of fascination and trepidation—and now she wants to prove her worth more than ever. Her excitement and anxiety doubles-triples when her Lord walks over to her undeserving form, when her Lord looks at her with such commanding eyes and speaks to her with such beautiful voice, when her Lord puts the previous-STAR's CORE upon her head.  
  
She almost collapses with sheer joy when she realizes that the CORE is now taking the place of a crown. Her happiness doesn't even dim when her Lord tells her that instead of the STAR, her title will be the CORE of TOWER. It's a lot less glamorous than being addressed as The Star, but since it's a name given to him by her Lord, she doesn't even make any sound of complaint.  
  
She will be the fire that will burn the enemies' defeat to the ground; she will be the TOWER that will rise above the ashes that is made up of the enemies' remains.  
  
She will never be a failure.  
  
She will never surrender her crown.  
  
Never.  
  
•  
  
He wanted to stay with his family, with his life, but ever since the ownership of the CORE of HIEROPHANT was passed to him, the hopes of leading a normal life have escaped his grasp.  
  
He wants to protect the last vestiges of normality left in this world, which is why he agreed to form an alliance with the WORLD. He doesn't have any pride of owning his own organization, his own guild, so it's easy for him to agree to merging conditions. He doesn't mind if it means losing authority over the soldiers that were entrusted to his name after centuries of the royal name passing through generation upon generation.  
  
His father is disapproving—"I didn't surrender my leadership for you to give it away, son"—but he's the type of person who looks meek but can be quite stubborn with his beliefs.  
  
As the master of the HIEROPHANT CORE, there are certain information that are known to him and only him.  
  
Among them is the—  
  
•  
  
—the HIEROPHANT is dead, dead, dead!  
  
She places gloved hands over her cheeks, patting pink-brushed skin carefully, making sure that her wide, crazed smile doesn't actually split her face or ruin her make-up. With this, she will rule the guild!  
  
It will take a bit of work to convince the others—since they also have COREs, though their powers are less developed than her because they don't have the advanced knowledge that comes with being the HIGH PRIESTESS, the knowledge that's only rivaled by the HIEROPHANT—but she can manage.  
  
She plucks the mirror from the HIEROPHANT's cold, stiff, *dead* fingers—crinkles her nose delicately when her stiletto heels make a soft squishing sound when they step on the carpet drowned with crimson, red blood.  
  
She tucks the mirror on her pocket, where it clanks against a similar CORE weapon—mirrors that tell the past, the present and the possible future—mirrors that are exclusive to the HIEROPHANT and the HIGH PRIESTESS.   
  
Now that she has monopoly over the most encompassing knowledge amongst the CORE owners, her takeover of the guild will be smoother.  
  
She jolts when she feels the mirrors tingling. From past experience, they only pulse with energy when there's important information coming through them. She sighs and takes them out, but before she can fully comprehend the future that the mirrors perceived, she sees a black, familiar shadow of one of the guild's subordinates and—  
  
•  
  
—the HIGH PRIESTESS is dead, dead, dead!  
  
He lets out a howl of manic laughter when he forcefully snatches the two COREs from the HIGH PRIESTESS' desperate hands, lets out a cackle of victory when he shoves the now-dying body on top of the HIEROPHANT's now-lifeless form.  
  
He nudges his partner-in-crime, making a comment about how ironic is it that someone who owns the CORE of the FOOL is the one who'll end up standing over the entire guild. With the mirrors of knowledge in his hand, he can now demand more favorable terms with the merge with the WORLD.  
  
The WORLD is undoubtedly more powerful than him, but he now has three COREs in his hands, so he can—  
  
•  
  
So foolish, so undoubtedly foolish.  
  
He knows that there are some CORE owners who protest and complain about how different they are from the COREs they got, but the truth is, the COREs aren't stupid enough to latch onto people who don't resonate with the properties they represent.  
  
The FOOL is naturally stupid, but he's very grateful for his assistance in collecting three COREs for him. The FOOL is naive, too naive, but that's just a part of his true self. The FOOL didn't even think twice about the person who joined the guild too late—and it's such a good timing too!—about the person who easily tolerated his outbursts of boisterous laughter and his general absence of intellect.  
  
So foolish, so undoubtedly foolish.  
  
The FOOL is foolish for harboring the hope that his future will march upon a brightly lit path.  
  
As the TRAITOR, it's up to him to crush such futile hopes.  
  
(And offer them to his Lord.)  
  
•  
  
He watches in fascinated glee as the WORLD picks up his second CORE, the CORE of the ANGEL, from the remains of the angel that has crashed down to the unforgiving earth.   
  
He barely spares a glance to the profusely bleeding form of his most faithful subordinate, since really... the TRAITOR already has seven COREs, and he still sustained such serious injuries after fighting with the WORLD and the ANGEL? It's laughable, really.  
  
Admittedly, he is still a little sore that the WORLD brat managed to capture the ANGEL's CORE. He lets the WORLD escape though, because it's no fun fighting someone too traumatized by the death of a comrade. It makes for better entertainment to let him recover a bit of confidence and resolve back, before hammering down the point that HE WILL LOSE in this long, long war.  
  
After all, the entire mafia community are all working for him, whether they're aware of it or not. The whole guild—an elite society made of clans with centuries of royal history—is at the palm of his hand as well, thanks to the help of his very loyal pet, the TRAITOR.  
  
Out of the 22 COREs: 5 are on the WORLD's side; 15 are on his.  
  
The MAGICIAN might not be among the strongest COREs, but his abilities as a living person are beyond anyone else's expectations. Because it's *him*, he can draw out unimaginable powers and perform unparalleled actions.   
  
He can't wait for the destined moment for him to meet the strongest CORE. He's not sure why is the owner hiding and not participating in this long and tiring war, but as a mere MAGICIAN, he knows that *that* CORE is probably scoffing at all their futile movements, is probably laughing at their miserable thoughts. As a mere MAGICIAN, his thoughts are not enough to properly perceive *that* CORE's thinking.  
  
He is a patient person by nature, though the lack of interesting things is making him antsy. He resolves to launch another attack against the WORLD—maybe kill the TRAITOR tonight? since he's not really drawing out the full potential of the COREs that he oh-so-kindly lent to him...—maybe visit the EMPRESS and whisper against her ear about how 'her Lord' wants the eyesore of an EMPEROR gone immediately? but she's annoying and conceited and she seems to think that the swell of her breasts are enough to sway his mind away from exciting thoughts of carnage and destruction—and maybe that will finally get the attention of the most powerful CORE.  
  
He settles on the idea quite quickly: first visit the EMPRESS, next kill the TRAITOR, then kill the EMPRESS, and with 15 of the COREs literally in his hands, *crush* the WORLD and his pathetic followers with the heel of his hand.  
  
Or maybe he can kidnap that girl first? That girl that seems to be the one who the WORLD is in love with? That powerless girl that had to be saved in a few instances because her weakness isn't enough to support her in this dying world? That girl that seems to be colder and colder as each day passes?  
  
The MAGICIAN smirks.  
  
He decides that hey, maybe he can make that girl worship him as her new Lord.  
  
•  
  
There are 15 COREs floating by the side of the MAGICIAN; there are 5 COREs floating by the side of the WORLD.  
  
There's only one person on each side of the battlefield—everyone else is incapacitated and unable to fight any more.   
  
This is the last moment of the world.  
  
She's literally in the middle of the battlefield—hands bound with shackles made from the LOVERS' CORE, feet bound to the eroding soil by the boots of the CHARIOT, eyes covered with the HERMIT's helmet. She's protected from stray bullets and from the increased CORE pressure by the shield of TEMPERANCE.  
  
It's not like she needs such things.  
  
The final two fighters are locked in an intense stalemate, both thinking that the end will come as soon as one of them stands alone in the battlefield.  
  
Such idiots.  
  
She smiles, with all the humanity of the world that is suffering at its core, with all the happiness of the life that is flying by her, with all the honor of the person that is her personality.  
  
She is normal—with her own share of ups and downs, of glee and heartbreak, of carefree laughter and troubled sighs—and she lives on.  
  
She lives on, despite being "normal", despite being the target of countless kidnapping and assassination attempts, despite being the focus of people of wants to bring the WORLD down.  
  
She smiles, because she knows that no matter what the outcome of the highly entertaining fight is, there's only one person that's going to be left standing in this crumbling world.  
  
As the owner of DEATH and the DEVIL, she knows.  
  
She knows that in the end, she will be the one who'll stand victorious.  
  
•  
•  
•  
» **end**.


End file.
